Reviews

Cassadaga

26. Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
Turns out that Conor Oberst is a traditionalist; it just took him a decade to work through his shambling sketchiness and embrace the clean sounds that he's always skirted -- check the driving "Hot Knives" for proof. Cassadaga finally gives some credence to those hoary Dylan comparisons, too: Big ideas -- politics, fate, existence -- are delivered with full-bore sonic polish: Strings swell, words fly, and the kid, now 27, turns in his "bright young thing" card for a steadier gig in the classic songwriters' club.